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BM562 PROJECT PORTFOLIO

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 Contents
Problem Statement...........................................................................................................................3

Research Findings............................................................................................................................4

Solutions..........................................................................................................................................9

Outcomes.......................................................................................................................................10

Handover........................................................................................................................................11

References......................................................................................................................................11

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Problem Statement

The managing director (MD) of ClientCo presented the consultant with a complex and
expanding business dilemma. The MD, Mike, expressed worries about the company's low
productivity per worker compared to industry rivals, citing staff motivating challenges and recent
labour disruptions. He asked the consultant to survey employees to analyse attitudes and set
standards. The consultant will be tempted to immediately fulfil Mike's demands, but more study
and conversation are needed to properly grasp and handle ClientCo's difficulties. The
consultant's main goal was to create a fact-based problem statement that would define ClientCo's
concerns and prevent rash judgements. In first discussions, the consultant identified the client's
issue. Low productivity was the obvious problem, but Mike didn't understand or articulate the
causes. The consultant asked pointed questions to establish what ClientCo thought the problem
was and why they were focused on it. This inquiry helped lead the study away from
preconceptions and towards data-driven discoveries.
The problem statement from these talks showed that just 35% of ClientCo's orders were
delivered on time, compared to 75% for rivals. Over the last two years, consumer surveys
showed that poor performance was the main cause of a 15% drop in sales. This fact-based
approach switched the emphasis from staff morale to operational inefficiencies affecting
customer satisfaction and retention. The gearbox assembly unit's productivity per worker
averaged 7.3 units per day from January 2009 to January 2010, compared to industry norms of
9.8 units. This result supported a narrower issue statement focused on production differences
rather than morale. The problem description further explained why ClientCo needed to solve this
productivity issue. Increasing productivity by 10% might help finish 80% of orders on time,
reversing the fall in client purchases and enhancing customer retention. The consulting project
had a defined, measurable aim that linked operational changes to business benefits. Furthermore,
the problem statement included market trend and competition strategy analysis. Benchmarking
and defining realistic improvement targets required understanding ClientCo's external
environment. This involved reviewing productivity and operational efficiency requirements,
consumer expectations, and rival developments.

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Research Findings

Primary research
To solve ClientCo's operational inefficiencies, primary research on a particular group will reveal
unique issues. Interviewing line managers who oversee daily operations and directly supervise
personnel and procedures is important because they understand operational specifics and how
processes affect productivity. Line managers are well-positioned to provide strategic and
operational insights into productivity issues and solutions.

Interview Questions Manager 1 Manager 2 Manager 3

What are the main Maintaining the I find fixing Foe me it is hard to
challenges you correct combination production encourage the team to
encounter in of qualified labour, bottlenecks to be meet daily and
achieving daily and equipment, and critical. These weekly production
weekly production supplies to satisfy bottlenecks result goals. Fatigue, poor
targets? daily and weekly from equipment communication, and
production goals is failure, inefficient morale may lower
difficult for me. operations, or raw production.
material delays.

How communication As a line manager, I communicate I get production crew

flows between communication strategic goals and comments on
different levels of between management targets from high operational issues,
management and the and production management to process
production staff? personnel is essential production personnel improvements, and
for smooth operations to ensure everyone morale. This feedback
and productivity knows their role in loop helps discover
targets. I attaining them. I set areas for
communicate objectives, guide improvement and
information, work, and resolve resolve concerns
directions, and production team before they worsen.
objectives from issues.

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 senior management to
the production crew
and provide
comments and
insights from the
factory floor.

What are the I can quickly compare Benchmarks help me I can monitor my
strengths and my team's prioritise progress team's performance
weaknesses of the performance to and create attainable and growth using
current productivity industry norms using team objectives. Too clear benchmarks.
benchmarks and productivity tight standards may Productivity criteria
reporting methods? benchmarks. The prevent process or alone may not explain
standards may not external factor employee morale,
account for my team modifications. work procedures, or
or department's resource allocation.
particular problems This may ignore
and circumstances, crucial improvement
setting unreasonable areas.
expectations.

What improvements I feel that new Effective resource As a line manager,

do you believe would technology and allocation would raise promoting continual
most significantly automation systems productivity, in my improvement will
increase productivity will boost opinion as a line boost productivity the
in your area of productivity in my manager. We can find greatest. We may tap
responsibility? area the most as a line inefficiencies and into frontline
manager. Technology redistribute supplies, knowledge and boost
like modern equipment, and productivity by
equipment and labour by carefully encouraging staff to
software may analysing resource actively discover and
simplify operations, offer process

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 decrease human utilisation. improvements.
mistakes, and speed
up output.

The three ClientCo line managers' responses show different viewpoints and obstacles in meeting
production objectives, communicating well, and increasing efficiency. The organisation needs
these insights to build targeted actions to fix operational inefficiencies and communication gaps.
Management responses indicate many main problems in meeting daily and weekly production
objectives. Manager 1 stresses the complexity of balancing competent labour, equipment, and
supplies. Improved supply chain coordination and worker training will solve this problem and
coordinate resource planning and labour management (Alzoubi et al., 2022). Manager 2 finds
production bottlenecks caused by equipment problems, inefficiencies, and material delays. Better
maintenance plans, process optimisation, and supplier reliability are needed. Manager 3 cites
team motivation, weariness, and poor communication as hurdles, suggesting enhancing internal
communication and employee engagement.
Communication between management and manufacturing personnel is crucial. Manager 1's
statement, "I communicate information, directions, and objectives from senior management to
the production crew and provide comments and insights from the factory floor," suggests
organised communication but may also indicate a top-down approach that could benefit from
more participatory communication methods to improve feedback efficacy (Gabriel et al., 2022).
For operational issues and process improvements, Managers 2 and 3 emphasise strategic goal
alignment and feedback loops. This suggests the need for an effective communication framework
that not only sends commands but also actively engages workers in discussion, creating a two-
way communication culture that could render operations more responsive and adaptive.
Manager 1 says, "The standards may not account for my team or department's particular
problems and circumstances, setting unreasonable expectations." A one-size-fits-all
benchmarking technique might be deceiving or demotivating. Manager 1's automation and
technology idea validates research that technology enhances production (Bessen, 2019). Manager
2's emphasis on resource allocation emphasises operational analysis's role in identifying and
fixing inefficiencies. Manager 3's focus on continual improvement and frontline personnel input
coincides with lean management, where little improvements boost productivity.
Secondary research

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Operational Efficiency and Processes: "Operational Efficiency and Processes" are essential to
improving ClientCo's productivity, which is low compared to its industry counterparts. A
detailed review of ClientCo's operational workflows, methods, and practices exposes
inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
ClientCo struggles to meet production timetables and quality standards. Mapping processes to
discover inefficiencies is the first step. This mapping should cover manufacturing stages and
department contacts including procurement, production, and quality control to ensure
information and material flow. Industrial efficiency depends on equipment and technology.
Kaydos (2020) states that equipment may hinder or assist an organisation achieve output goals.
Workflows are reengineered to remove processes and improve production efficiency (Kumar and
Liu, 2020). To keep operations effective and compliant with industry standards, ongoing
improvement must be established in addition to addressing inefficiencies. Regular workflow and
practice evaluations, benchmarking against industry leaders, and encouraging staff to identify
changes may promote innovation.
Employee Engagement and Morale: Understanding staff engagement and morale is crucial to
ClientCo's productivity issues. The managing director first thought poor morale caused
productivity problems. A more in-depth research of this subject examines the many aspects that
impact employee happiness and engagement, which affects performance and organisational
efficiency. According to Mughal and Iraqi (2020), employee involvement involves using and
expressing oneself physically, intellectually, and emotionally throughout role performances.
Employee engagement at ClientCo affects productivity because engaged workers are more
motivated, dedicated, and eager to work harder. Disengaged workers have more absenteeism,
lower-quality work, and higher turnover. Management-staff connections are crucial to employee
morale. Vera and Sánchez-Cardona (2023) found that supervisor-employee interactions
considerably impact work satisfaction and engagement. Open communication, respect, and trust
make workers feel appreciated and understood, which boosts engagement. How managers
interact with their teams, the quality of assistance offered, and the degree of employee autonomy
might reveal management practices that can be improved at ClientCo. Workplace culture
influences employee attitudes and behaviour. Organisational culture is a set of shared
fundamental ideas that the group learnt while adapting to external and internal changes,
according to Akpa et al. (2021). Positive workplace cultures that encourage cooperation,

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creativity, and belonging boost morale and productivity. ClientCo must grasp their culture's
values, conventions, and behaviours. This may entail examining whether the corporate culture
supports strategic goals and promotes productivity. Another key to staff involvement and morale
is incentives. Well-structured reward systems that complement workers' aims and values may
boost intrinsic motivation. Incentives including recognition, incentives, and career growth must
be assessed at ClientCo to evaluate their efficacy in engaging people. To guarantee incentives it
is important to motivate workers rather than just reward them, they must match their motivators.
Management and Communication Structures: Management effectiveness and organisational
communication are key to ClientCo's productivity issues. Organisations need good management
and communication to succeed, especially in environments where collaboration and job
completion are crucial. ClientCo's management processes must be examined to see how
executives communicate and execute decisions down to the production floor. Mintzberg divides
management functions into informational, interpersonal, and decisional (Gustiawan, 2019).
These positions emphasise managers' significance as decision-makers, information conduits, and
leaders who encourage and align teams towards shared objectives. Managers' effectiveness in
transferring information and making strategic choices that influence productivity is vital in
ClientCo's environment.
ClientCo communication flow also affects operational efficiency. Shannon and Weaver (1949)'s
communication model contains a sender, a message, a channel, and a receiver, with possible
obstacles that might distort the message. In a manufacturing scenario like ClientCo, where timely
and clear communication may boost production efficiency, these hurdles must be identified and
overcome. This includes information dissemination methods and ground-up input collection.
Effective two-way communication helps organisations adapt to difficulties and use employee
insights. Leadership's role in defining expectations and promoting openness and accountability is
crucial to management and communication. Leadership is about connections, and Kouzes and
Mansaray (2019) emphasise that successful leadership entails engaging people with a shared
vision and enabling workers to buy into and own their work processes. How effectively
ClientCo leadership establishes clear, realistic objectives and holds all levels of management
responsible for achieving them must be examined. Transparency about triumphs and setbacks
encourages continual progress and makes workers feel valued and important to the company's
purpose (Rodrigues et al., 2020). These management and communication difficulties might

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affect ClientCo in numerous ways. If production floor workers are not notified of schedule
changes or supervisors are not given real-time feedback regarding production line difficulties,
delays and mistakes may increase, lowering productivity. Thus, enhancing communication
structures may need stronger digital tools, frequent briefings, and more feedback channels.
Additionally, ClientCo feedback systems must be efficient. Feedback should be an ongoing
discussion that improves. Use technology to develop real-time feedback loops and schedule
frequent reviews to improve responsiveness and agility. This enables workers to participate in
process changes.

Solutions

The team provided four primary remedies after analysing ClientCo's operational issues and
inefficiencies. Enhance technology integration, optimise resource allocation, promote continuous
development, and enhance management and communication. Each solution was generated from
primary and secondary research and graded by effect and practicality.
Improving Management and Communication Structures: Communication hurdles and
managerial inefficiencies were key productivity difficulties at ClientCo, according to primary
research. Line managers stressed the need for better communication and clearer management
guidelines in interviews. Effective management requires informational and decisional
responsibilities that boost organisational efficiency, according to Abubakar et al. (2019). The
Shannon and Weaver paradigm emphasises the need for clear communication to prevent
misinterpretations that might disrupt operations (Adanlawo et al., 2021). Enhancing
communication and leadership structures is scored best because it immediately improves strategy
alignment and adaptability, which are essential for operational success. Stronger digital tools,
more regular management briefings, and rigorous feedback mechanisms may improve ClientCo's
information flow and decision-making.
Technological Integration and Automation: The major study demonstrated that productivity
requires improved technologies and automation. Manager 1 said that new equipment might
"simplify operations, decrease human errors, and speed up output," supporting the findings that
technology investments enhance productivity. Given the technology limitations found in
operational efficiency, this solution ranks second owing to its capacity to boost productivity and
quality quickly and measurably. Capital-intensive, it offers great returns via operational

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efficiency but demands significant investment. Manager 3 follows Womack & Jones's lean
management ideas by using frontline staff input to improve processes (Schonberger, 2019). This
method solves manufacturing inefficiencies and engages workers, improving morale and
efficiency. Maintaining operational improvements and responding to new problems requires a
continuous improvement culture. This third method improves communication and technology
but involves cultural change and employee engagement, which may take longer to implement
and demonstrate benefits.
Optimizing Resource Allocation: Manager 2 stressed the importance of resource allocation and
advised analysing resource use to detect inefficiencies. Strategic resource management is crucial
to operational performance, according to scholarly studies (Anwar and Abdullah, 2021).
Optimising resource allocation is important, but it comes fourth since its influence depends on
the above solutions, such as better technology and managerial methods. This supporting
approach maximises the advantages of other improvements by allocating resources where they
are required.
Overall, all offered solutions are important for resolving ClientCo's difficulties, but the ranking
emphasises the importance of management and communication improvements in supporting
strategic changes. Upgrades to technology are prioritised next since they boost efficiency and
reduce errors. Maintaining long-term gains and reacting to future operational problems requires a
continual improvement culture and resource optimisation. This complete methodology
transforms ClientCo's productivity and operational efficiency.

Outcomes

To solve ClientCo's complicated productivity difficulties, the consulting team investigated and
implemented a thorough plan to identify and fix the organization's inefficiencies. Following early
meetings with ClientCo's management, the issue description guided the engagement. ClientCo's
operational effectiveness and market competitiveness were suffering from worker productivity
gaps compared to industry norms. The initial part of the study comprised significant primary
research, including thorough interviews with line managers who oversaw manufacturing
operations. These interviews helped clarify internal operational concerns including resource
allocation, efficiency of equipment, and staff morale and engagement. A detailed evaluation of
the company's data, processes, and leadership communication systems supplemented primary

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data collecting. The investigation found severe gaps in ClientCo management and
communication, which was crucial. To improve departmental clarity, efficiency, and
responsiveness, management structure and communication procedures needed a major makeover
(Guffey et al., 2021). To keep staff happy and motivated, recognition programmes, skill
development seminars, and leadership training were implemented (Cote, 2019). The consultancy
also improved resource allocation via strategic resource use in the organisation. This required
extensive resource deployment studies and optimisation techniques to maximize production and
reduce waste by using resources effectively and where they were needed. The cumulative effect
of these therapies is significant. ClientCo reported reduced downtime and operational constraints
and increased production efficiency. Improved morale and employee engagement indicate a
more motivated staff. The improved communication and management structures have made the
organisation nimbler and more responsive, allowing it to resolve difficulties quickly.

Handover

After ClientCo's consulting engagement ends, the handover phase is crucial to the solutions'
durability and effectiveness. ClientCo's management and staff now oversee processes, strategies,
and systems. ClientCo must focus on four key areas to maintain consulting momentum and long-
term intervention success. ClientCo must first assess new technologies and management
practices. Management must check these systems for issues and improvements. Audits and
evaluations should be institutionalised to enable real-time changes. Inefficiencies will be avoided
and productivity and efficiency will be improved. ClientCo should highlight the consultancy-
cultivated culture of continuous improvement. This involves actively asking all staff to suggest
process modifications and establishing a systematic structure for evaluating and implementing
them. This culture of inventiveness and efficiency must be promoted by leadership. This
dedication will keep staff motivated and help the organisation adapt to industry and market
changes.

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References

Abubakar, A.M., Elrehail, H., Alatailat, M.A. and Elçi, A., 2019. Knowledge management,
decision-making style and organizational performance. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge,
4(2), pp.104-114.

Adanlawo, E.F., Reddy, M.M. and Rugbeer, H., 2021. Intercultural business communication:
The implications of language barriers. Psychology and Education Journal, 58(5), pp.6281-6290.

Akpa, V.O., Asikhia, O.U. and Nneji, N.E., 2021. Organizational culture and organizational
performance: A review of literature. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and
Management, 3(1), pp.361-372.

Alzoubi, H.M., Ghazal, T.M., Sahawneh, N. and Al-kassem, A.H., 2022. Fuzzy assisted human
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(IJEBM), 5.

Bessen, J., 2019. Automation and jobs: When technology boosts employment. Economic Policy,
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Cote, R., 2019. Motivating multigenerational employees: Is there a difference?. Journal of

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Guffey, M.E., Loewy, D. and Griffin, E., 2021. Business Communication Process and Product,
Brief Edition. Cengage Canada.

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Gustiawan, W., 2019. The Nature of Managerial Work: A Book Review of Mintzberg. Jurnal
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Kaydos, W., 2020. Operational performance measurement: increasing total productivity. CRC
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Kumar, A. and Liu, R., 2020. Business workflow optimization through process model redesign.
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Mansaray, H.E., 2019. The role of leadership style in organisational change management: a
literature review. Journal of Human Resource Management, 7(1), pp.18-31.

Mughal, M.U. and Iraqi, K.M., 2020. The impact of leadership, teamwork and employee
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Rodrigues, J., Sá, J.C., Silva, F.J., Ferreira, L.P., Jimenez, G. and Santos, G., 2020. A rapid
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Vera, M. and Sánchez-Cardona, I., 2023. Is it your engagement or mine? Linking supervisors’
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